A damning report: Kansas kids without insurance surge

The rates of Kansans younger than 19 without insurance surged to 8.5% in 2025, the second straight year the state rate was higher than the rest of the nation.
Erica Andrade, president and CEO of El Centro, says Medicaid and CHIP, which is specifically designed to deliver health coverage to children, have been configured to deter enrollment. A new report says the portion of uninsured Kansas children increased for the second consecutive year. In this Oct. 8, 2024, image, Andrade speaks during a news conference in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
Published: November 6, 2026
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The rates of Kansans younger than 19 without insurance surged to 8.5% in 2025, the second straight year the state rate was higher than the rest of the nation.

TOPEKA — More government red tape, the demise of COVID-19 benefits and anxiety about immigration crackdowns factor into a surge to 8.5% in the portion of Kansas children without health insurance in 2025.

It was the second consecutive year the American Community Survey published by the U.S. Census Bureau reported children younger than 19 who reside in Kansas were more likely to go without health insurance than children nationwide. 

The rate of uninsured children in Kansas climbed from 5.2% in 2022 to 7% in 2024, when the U.S. rate of children without health insurance stood at 6%. Nationally, the uninsured rate for kids bumped up to 6.2% in 2025.

Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

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